Convergent Creativity Research Articles

Narcissism Mediates the Relationship Between Helicopter Parenting and Divergent Creativity, but Not Convergent Creativity

ABSTRACT This study contrasts the relationship between helicopter parenting, narcissistic traits, and divergent creativity to the relationship between helicopter parenting, narcissistic traits, and convergent creativity in college students. In this study, 113 college students from 19 to 27 years of age completed surveys measuring helicopter parenting, narcissism, and creativity tasks. Both increased levels of student-reported helicopter parenting and increased levels of narcissism predicted decreased divergent and convergent creativity scores. While the relationship between helicopter parenting and divergent creativity was fully mediated by increased narcissism, helicopter parenting and narcissism independently contributed to differences in convergent creativity. Results suggest that helicopter parenting behaviors may impact different aspects of the creative process, but all in negative ways.

Divergent and Convergent Creativity Are Different Kinds of Foraging

According to accounts of neural reuse and embodied cognition, higher-level cognitive abilities recycle evolutionarily ancient mechanisms for perception and action. Here, building on these accounts, we investigate whether creativity builds on our capacity to forage in space (“creativity as strategic foraging”). We report systematic connections between specific forms of creative thinking—divergent and convergent—and corresponding strategies for searching in space. U.S. American adults completed two tasks designed to measure creativity. Before each creativity trial, participants completed an unrelated search of a city map. Between subjects, we manipulated the search pattern, with some participants seeking multiple, dispersed spatial locations and others repeatedly converging on the same location. Participants who searched divergently in space were better at divergent thinking but worse at convergent thinking; this pattern reversed for participants who had converged repeatedly on a single location. These results demonstrate a targeted link between foraging and creativity, thus advancing our understanding of the origins and mechanisms of high-level cognition.

Awe is associated with creative personality, convergent creativity, and everyday creativity.

Awe is associated with creative personality, convergent creativity, and everyday creativity.

To Nap or to Rest? The Influence of a Sixty-Minute Intervention on Verbal and Figural Convergent and Divergent Thinking

Background: The relationship between sleep and creativity is a topic of much controversy. General benefits of napping have been described not only in sleep-deprived individuals and in shift workers, but also in people with sufficient night sleep. However, only few studies have investigated the relationship between nap and creativity. Methods: Forty-two native German speakers (29 females, mean age = 24 years, SD = 3.3 years) took part in two experimental sessions (i.e., baseline and intervention). In both sessions, divergent and convergent verbal and figural creativity tasks were administered at the same time of the day. While the baseline session was identical for all the participants, in the second session participants were randomized into either a sixty-minute nap or a sixty-minute rest group. Results: No significant group differences were found for neither divergent nor convergent creativity thinking tasks, suggesting that the interventions had similar effects in both groups. Interestingly, the analysis of the pooled data (i.e., pooled nap and rest groups) indicated differential effects of figural versus verbal creativity tasks, such that significant post-intervention improvements were found for the figural, but not for the verbal divergent and convergent thinking tasks. Conclusions: While further studies are needed to confirm these findings, to the best of our knowledge, such a dissociation between performance of verbal and figural creativity tasks after nap/rest interventions has not been described to date.

The Development and Validation of Qualitative Value Indicators of Region-Based Community Dance for Cultural Urban Regeneration

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate qualitative value indicators of region-based community dance for cultural urban regeneration. To this end, the conceptual structure of local-based community dance was explored and evaluation indicators were developed by deriving questions related to this. The specific research procedures and results are as follows: First, a literature review and Delphi survey were conducted to obtain factors and questions regarding qualitative value indicators. Consequently, four factors of local singularity, convergent creativity, sustainability, and community culture were obtained with 43 questions. Next, a preliminary survey targeting 122 people who have participated in representative local dance festivals (the ‘Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival’, ‘Cheonan World Dance Festival’, and ‘Andong Maskdance Festival’) in Korea was conducted to determine the relationship between the factors and questions. Multi-dimensional value indicators with 30 questions in four factors were obtained from an exploratory factor analysis using SPSS version 25.0. Then, the main survey, targeting 341 people who have participated in three representative local dance festivals in Korea, was conducted to verify the validity of the value indicators. Finally, evaluation indicators of 26 questions (seven questions for regional uniqueness, five questions for convergent creativity, seven questions for sustainability, and seven questions for community culture) were developed from a confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS version 24.0. Additionally, the contents evaluated by each factor are as follows: Firstly, ‘Local Singularity’ is a factor in whether the evaluation target sufficiently contains the unique characteristics of the region. Secondly, ‘Convergent Creativity’ is a factor in whether the evaluation target converges the indigenous culture (traditional culture) and acceptance culture (modern culture) of the region well. Thirdly, ‘Sustainability’ is a factor in whether the evaluation target contributes to the sustainable development of the region. Fourthly, ‘Community Culture’ is a factor in whether the evaluation target contributes to the formation of community culture in the region. This study is significant in that it emphasises the potential possibility of community dance, which can contribute to cultural urban regeneration based on the perspectives of cultural democracy. Therefore, the results of this study are expected to be extended and applied to various types of community dance in the future. Moreover, it is further forecasted that this study will suggest the meaning of the qualitative valuation of art and culture for a variety of subjects, such as policy experts and administrators, as well as for directors, choreographers, and participants in community dance.

In search of convergent creativity: content analysis of research on intellectual humility

ABSTRACT Research on intellectual humility has accumulated rapidly. In this content analysis, we review existing published empirical work. We conducted searches using Google Scholar, ProQuest, and PsycInfo and found 59 articles with 134 samples. Most studies have focused on convenience samples and used similar measurement approaches – self-reports of intellectual humility. Nonetheless, some teams are beginning to move towards methods that can test causal implications of evolving theory, such as experimental methods or longitudinal studies. Furthermore, although most studies have focused on measurement issues, some scholars are beginning to venture out into applied work on intellectual humility. At least initially, researchers are gravitating towards areas where cultural ideology and commitment-related biases might put pressure on individuals to prioritize loyalty over truth seeking. Implications for future research are discussed.

Priming creativity: Doing math reduces creativity and happiness whereas playing short online games enhance them

Creative thinking is an indispensable cognitive skill that is becoming increasingly important. In the present research, we tested the impact of games on creativity and emotions in a between-subject online experiment with four conditions (N= 658). (1) participants played a simple puzzle game that allowed many solutions (priming divergent thinking); (2) participants played a short game that required one fitting solution (priming convergent thinking); (3) participants performed mental arithmetic; (4) passive control condition. Results show that divergent and convergent creativity were higher after playing games and lower after mental arithmetic. Positive emotions did not function as a mediator, even though they were also heightened after playing the games and lower after mental arithmetic. However, contrary to previous research, we found no direct effect of emotions, creative self-efficacy, and growth- vs. fixed on creative performance. We discuss practical implications for digital learning and application settings.

Effects of short-term aerobic exercise on creativity

Creativity refers to the ability of individuals and groups to produce new, unique and valuable ideas or products, which can be divided into convergent creativity and divergent creativity. For college students, short-term aerobic exercise not only improves physical fitness but is also a key factor affecting creative performance, which is of great significance to their study and life. However, it is still worth exploring whether this promotion occurs immediately and can be sustained over a period of time. To comprehensively investigate the effects of short-term aerobic exercise on creativity, we conducted two studies. In study 1, 50 undergraduates completed a convergent creativity test (Chinese compound remote associate problems, CCRA) and a divergent creativity test (alternates uses task, AUT) before (pretest) and after 25 min (posttest) of short-term aerobic exercise. In study 2, 55 undergraduates were recruited to complete the same pretest and posttest as in study 1, except that they completed the posttest 30 min after finishing short-term aerobic exercise. The results showed that short-term aerobic exercise immediately improved the performance of convergent creativity and divergent creativity but not after a 30 min delay. The research results provide practical guidance for the improvement of college students' creativity and academic performance.

Let’s do the Math… About Creativity and Mathematical Reasoning: A Correlational Study in Primary School Children

Mathematics, being a very ancient discipline, is usually seen as a formal subject that must be learned for school purposes, which is very far from creativity and fun. Also, mathematical skills are often considered a talent, so students are easily divided into gifted and not gifted, with a focus on speed and accuracy rather than encouraging the process of juggling between divergent and convergent thinking. In the present paper, we aimed at investigating the relationship between mathematical reasoning and different aspects of creative thinking, such as divergent and convergent creativity, aesthetic appreciation, and humor. To do so, 146 second and third graders in a primary school in Milan have been recruited and tested with mathematical and creative tasks. Correlational analyses showed significant positive relations between flexibility and originality dimensions of creativity and mathematical performance. Results are discussed by providing a theoretical framework about the relation between mathematics and creative skills.

Supplemental Material for Awe is Associated With Creative Personality, Convergent Creativity, and Everyday Creativity

Supplemental Material for Awe is Associated With Creative Personality, Convergent Creativity, and Everyday Creativity

Drinking tea improves the convergent creativity performance

Tea consumption has been extensively shown to be closely related to physical health and cognitive abilities. However, there are no definite conclusions on the relationship between tea consumption and convergent thinking. Convergent thinking requires top-down cognitive processing, which focuses on searching for an appropriate idea based on well-defined criteria. It is a necessary part of the creative process and is inextricably linked to divergent thinking that requires people to search for many different ideas with less defined criteria within a wider search span. It has been found that tea consumption is beneficial to divergent thinking in creativity. Given that convergent thinking is related to divergent thinking, we hypothesized that drinking tea may also promote convergent thinking. This research was to investigate the enhancing effects of tea on convergent thinking and test its possible mediating mechanism (i.e., the role of positive emotions) and marginal conditions (e.g., the moderating roles of intelligence and tea preference). In Experiment 1, participants completed the Remote Association Test (RAT) which requires the solver to create a meaningful link (word association) that mediates three seemingly unrelated cues (e.g., Same–Tennis–Head is mediated by Match) after drinking tea or water. The results showed that the type of drinks and tea consumption habits had a significant interaction effect on RAT scores. The participants who drank tea (v.s. water) and had the habit of drinking tea performed best in the RAT. A “split half effect” was found. That is, participants' performance in different groups was significantly different in the second half of the RAT, suggesting that drinking tea leads to persistent problem-solving convergent thinking. Experiment 2 aimed to replicate the findings in Experiment 1 using a different convergent thinking task, namely, riddle tasks, where participants needed to solve riddles with different levels of difficulty. The results revealed that performance in the tea group on the difficult tasks was significantly higher than that in the water group; after controlling for knowledge level and intelligence, the differences in the performance in the medium- and high-difficulty riddle tasks between the two groups were significant. Although no experiments found a mediating effect of positive emotions, Experiment 2 showed that the participants in the tea group were happier and more interested in the task than those in the water group. To conclude, the positive effects of tea drinking on convergent thinking was demonstrated, and the moderating effects of knowledge level, intelligence, and tea drinking habits were elaborated. The results have important practical significance for those who are engaged in creative work or those who are prone to fatigue.

Non-routine mathematical problem-solving: Creativity, engagement, and intuition of STEM tertiary students

<p style='text-indent:20px;'>This study set out to evaluate an intervention that introduced a period of non-routine problem-solving into tertiary STEM lectures at four tertiary institutions in New Zealand for 683 students. The aim was twofold: to attempt to increase student engagement and to introduce them to the kind of domain-free abstract reasoning that involves critical, creative, and innovative thinking. This study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach, utilizing different types of instruments to gather data: comprehensive student pre- and post-test questionnaires, a content validation survey for the questionnaires, focus group interviews (student participants), open-ended questionnaire (lecturer participants), and naturalistic class observations. The main findings are as follows. Students' behavioural engagement was significantly greater during the intervention. Perceptions of the utility value of the activity improved at the end of the semester for all students. There were no significant changes in students' convergent thinking (problem-solving), intuition, or creativity (originality, fluency, and elaboration traits of the divergent thinking) during the course, probably due to the relatively short timescale of the intervention. However, overall, the results of the investigation suggest that with a relatively small effort, teachers can improve STEM student engagement by devoting a few minutes per lecture on non-routine problem-solving. This is something that can be easily implemented, even by those who primarily teach in a traditional lecturing style.</p>

Effects of Verbal Priming With Acute Exercise on Convergent Creativity.

The acute effects of moderate-intensity treadmill exercise during anagram problem solving on subsequent creativity performance has yet to be empirically investigated, which was this study's purpose. A two-visit (counterbalanced order), within-subject experiment was conducted among individuals aged 18-35. For the acute exercise visit, participants engaged in a 15-minute bout of moderate-intensity treadmill exercise while solving anagram problems. For the anagram only visit, participants engaged in 15 minutes of seated rest while solving anagram problems. Average RAT performance was higher for the exercise + anagram problem-solving visit (M = 10.51, SD = 3.25) compared to anagram-solving + seated rest (M = 9.29, SD = 4.12). The difference between conditions was statistically significant, t(44) = 2.385, p = .021, Cohen's d = 0.36. These findings demonstrate that acute exercise coupled with anagram problem-solving, prior to RAT completion, is a potential strategy for enhancing verbal convergent creative thinking.

Rounded or angular? How the physical work environment in makerspaces influences makers’ creativity

Makerspaces have become some of the most important environments for nurturing creativity in the 21st century. This study proposed that a rounded versus an angular physical work environment (RA-PWE) in makerspaces has different effects on makers’ divergent and convergent creativity. The results of a survey with makers in 15 makerspaces and two experiments indicated that a rounded physical work environment (Rounded-PWE) was more likely to enhance divergent creativity than an angular physical work environment (Angular-PWE), while an Angular-PWE was more likely to enhance convergent creativity than a Rounded-PWE. The underlying process identified showed that a Rounded-PWE was more likely to activate approach motivation, while an Angular-PWE was more likely to activate avoidance motivation, in turn enhancing divergent or convergent creativity. This study makes theoretical contributions to research on PWE, creativity, and motivation and provides practical implications for managers and designers of makerspaces and other spaces.

Human and machine-induced social stress and cognitive performance

The article examines the effects of social stress on work performance in a laboratory study using a battery of performance tests. Social stress was induced by a combination of negative feedback and ostracism. Participants received negative performance feedback and were ostracised by two confederates of the experimenter. Using a one-way experimental design with three levels (machine-induced stress, human-induced stress, and no stress), 102 participants performed the following tasks: attention, divergent and convergent creativity. Participants also completed questionnaires measuring positive and negative affect, and state self-esteem. The manipulation check confirmed that social stress was successfully implemented. The results showed that social stress increased negative affect and reduced self-esteem. However, performance remained unaffected by social stress on any of the cognitive tasks, with no difference emerging between human-induced and machine-induced stress. The findings provide support for the ‘blank-out’-mechanism, which assumes that humans can maintain performance levels even under difficult working conditions. Practitioner summary: Social stress in the form of negative performance feedback and social exclusion has a negative impact on the affect and self-esteem of humans. However, performance on subsequent tasks was not impaired. Abbreviations: TSST: trier social stress test; SSES: state self-esteem scale; PANAS: positive and negative affect schedule; ANOVA: analysis of variance

Studying the effects of visual movement on creativity

Many studies have shown that physical activity, especially walking, tends to stimulate certain cognitive functions, including divergent creativity. The objective of this study was to understand whether some of this gain comes from the perception of movement, and not merely physical activity itself. 32 participants carried out divergent and convergent creativity tasks in a virtual reality environment consisting of a train inside a tunnel, while wearing a Head-Mounted-Display (HMD). For half of the participants, the virtual train was running, and they could therefore see tunnel lamps passing by through the windows. For the other half, the train was stationary. The results of this study indicate that participants perform better at tasks that require divergent creativity when the virtual environment is moving than when it is at a standstill. These results lead to recommendations for the design of tools and environments for meetings and creativity workshops.

Fostering students' creative thinking skills by means of a one-year creativity training program.

Creative thinking is among the most sought-after life and work skills in the 21st century. The demand for creativity, however, exceeds the degree to which it is available and developed. The current project aimed to test the effectiveness of a one-year creativity training program for higher education. The creativity of students following the training was measured before, halfway, and after the training. In addition to the within-subjects comparison across time, performance was compared to a matched control group. At each of the measurement points, different versions of seven well-validated creativity tasks (capturing divergent and convergent creative thinking skills) were employed. The creativity training increased students’ ideation skills and, more importantly their cognitive flexibility. However, no difference in originality was observed. Finally, an increase in performance was observed for one of the convergent creativity tasks, the Remote Associate Test. Implications for educational settings and directions for future research are discussed.

Test “Juárez” de creatividad convergente. Medición humanista del Éxito Emprendedor

Entrepreneurial success in transforming ideas into realities is important for any society. The research question is whether successful entrepreneurs possess specific measurable qualities. Given that forming new companies is in itself a creative act, such companies should provide data that allow one to test an objective measurement of creativity. Hence, the research goal here is to create a test capable of measuring qualities observed in business creators. The methodology consists of applying the test to three groups (Normal, N = 2.126; Entrepreneur, N = 29, and Multi-entrepreneur, N = 8), analyzing the results, and selecting explanatory dimensions of the qualities detected by grouping items and comparing related literature. The results confirm significant differences (reliability> 95%) among the test groups; at higher levels of entrepreneurship, there were higher test scores (53.27 <63.09 <74.62). The 15 explanatory qualities detected are: efficient conversation, leadership, resolution, proactivity, activation, priority, realism, recognition, official experience, risk, tenacity, interaction, no rancor, empathy and equilibrium. To explain what the test measures, the term “convergent creativity” (materialization of ideas) is chosen, avoiding possible distortions of the word “creativity”.

The relationships between bilingual learning, willingness to study abroad and convergent creativity.

Convergent creativity is a form of creative thinking that uses existing knowledge or traditional methods to analyze available information and generate an appropriate solution. The differences in the performance of participants in convergent creativity caused by bilingual learning is a popular research area in creativity. A final sample of 68 participants was asked to complete the remote associates test (RAT). The results indicate that a moderate positive correlation exists between bilingual learning and convergent creativity. Students who want to study abroad perform better on the RAT than those who do not, and this effect is mediated by second language proficiency. These findings suggest that improving students’ English proficiency and increasing their opportunities to study abroad may be effective ways to promoting convergent creativity.

Creativity and involvement in art in different types of synaesthesia.

The aim of the present study was to test the relationship between different types of synaesthesia and their involvement in art, creative, and visual abilities. We tested 20 grapheme‐colour, 18 sound‐colour, 19 grapheme‐colour‐and‐sound‐colour, 20 sequence‐space synaesthetes, and the same number of controls matched by age, gender, and education. We assessed the number of artistic professions, involvement in art, and the performance in psychometric tests of divergent and convergent creativity, as well as visual and visuo‐spatial abilities. Results show a higher prevalence of artists among synaesthetes, especially sound‐colour synaesthetes. Sound‐colour synaesthetes also showed a higher involvement in artistic activities overall while sequence‐space synaesthetes showed higher involvement in visual art. Only grapheme‐colour‐and‐sound‐colour synaesthetes showed significantly higher divergent creativity compared to matched controls. Additionally, overall, synaesthetes scored higher in visuo‐spatial abilities (i.e., mental rotation). For synaesthetes and controls, visuo‐spatial abilities correlated with divergent creativity. We discuss that synaesthetes’ higher involvement in art is not necessarily reflected in their basic creative abilities.